15 Charm Necklaces to Achieve My Favorite Summer Accessory Trend
Charm necklaces are basically a cheat code for giving your outfits more personality. Hear me out: on days when it's too hot to even think about wearing something other than a basic tank top, just pop on a strand of charms to spice up your look. And since you can find just about anything on a charm necklace these days (seashells! horses! pizza!), it's a fun way to show off your hobbies and interests.
The best charm necklaces of the moment run the gamut from simple chains that you can personalize yourself to ornate layered strands pre-adorned with beads and baubles. Plus, I spotted styles that marry the season's most viral trends, like nautical fish charms for sardine girl summer and mixed metal pieces.
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Miami Herald
3 hours ago
- Miami Herald
Jonas Brothers share conflicting opinions on when lying as a parent is allowed
The Jonas Brothers are all girl dads, but are they lying dads? To an extent, yes — but not all of them. The band, which consists of brothers Nick, Kevin and Joe Jonas, recently opened up about their roles as fathers during an upcoming episode of Mythical Kitchen's 'Last Meals,' which was shared by People. And it appears they have conflicting opinions when it comes to white lies and 'alternate truths.' The topic came to be after Kevin Jonas, who shares Alena, 11, and Valentina, 8, with his wife Danielle, per E! News, revealed that he recently lied to his daughters after they 'discovered fluff' for the first time. The singer was referring to marshmallow fluff, which he told his daughters was a 'one-and-done' thing. 'They don't sell it anymore, that's what I'm going with,' Kevin Jonas said of his white lie. Host Josh Scherer then asked the brothers how much they lie to their daughters because he heard it's the 'key to parenting.' Nick Jonas, who shares daughter Malti Marie, 3, with wife Priyanka Chopra, per People, said he 'tries not to lie to them at all,' but Kevin Jonas disagreed. 'I lied a lot,' Kevin Jonas said, to which Nick Jonas replied, 'he lies all the time.' Nick Jonas went on to clarify that there are times when he'll 'give an alternate truth' and 'redirect.' For example, he said bribing his daughter to get off the iPad 'is a thing.' As for Joe Jonas, he's in the same boat as his younger brother. While he describes lying about 'certain characters' that his children receive presents from as a 'healthy fib,' he added that he tries not to lie to his kids. Joe Jonas shares daughters Willa, 5, and Delphine, 3, with his ex-wife Sophie Turner, per People. As the brothers' conversation continued, they started to talk about Labubus. A Labubu is a popular collectible toy character created by Hong Kong artist Kasing Lung, according to NPR. The plush toy monster elves come in many different outfits, colors and themes. While Nick Jonas said he was 'just getting hip' to the toy, Kevin Jonas said he's 'very deep' in his Labubu phase with his daughters. As for how much money Kevin Jonas has spent on Labubus, the singer was proud to say none. 'I have not spent a single dollar on Labubus. My daughter has,' he said. Kevin Jonas went on to explain that his daughter saves up her money and buys Labubus with her debit card on the popular online marketplace StockX. 'She's negotiating on there, putting in bids,' he explained. 'She's like, 'Dad, it's not really worth $75, but with shipping it comes out to $85. What do you think I should do?'' Despite advising his daughter not to buy it, Kevin Jonas says it 'shows up' at their front door anyway.
CNBC
6 hours ago
- CNBC
'Gateway drug': Labubus are getting U.S. consumers hooked on Pop Mart and driving up business
In recent months, Shay Tomi began seeing plush monster dolls attached to purses and strollers around San Francisco. During recent travels, the 28-year-old noticed more hanging from belt loops. Online, she was fed videos of people unboxing creatures of their own. These objects, as she would come to learn, have a name: Labubu. After years of rising brand awareness in China, they're taking the U.S. by storm as a hot fashion accessory and hard-to-get collectable. It's caught the attention of shoppers, brands and even politicians who want to ride the trend. One retail analyst christened Labubu as the "it" item globally. "All of the sudden, everyone has it," said Tomi, who works in finance. "Then, you kind of had to get one." Indeed, Tomi got in on the craze: She has four Labubus that take turns hanging from her purse, sometimes dressed in a miniature grey sweatsuit that she bought from a third-party seller. She also got her boyfriend hooked. His Labubus often sport a basketball jersey designed to match the Los Angeles Lakers. Tomi isn't alone. Data and anecdotal evidence shows just how much Labubus are taking off in the U.S. — in turn providing a boon for shares of Pop Mart, its China-based parent, and boosting interest in the collectable company's other products. Sales of the company's plush toys, a business arm that includes some Labubu products, skyrocketed more than 1,200% between 2023 and 2024. With that growth, plush toys accounted for more than a fifth of total revenue in 2024, up from less than 4% a year prior. Impressive, when one considers most of the products cost about $30, though prices vary. In North America, Pop Mart said revenue surged more than 550% between 2023 and 2024. What's more, sales in the region climbed about 900% in the first quarter of 2025 compared with the same period a year ago — far outpacing the comparable figure for global growth, according to a Goldman Sachs analysis. That's prompted a seismic shift in where the company's consumer base lives. In 2021, Bank of America found virtually all revenue came from mainland China. Nearly half of revenue is set to come from outside the Asian country this year, per forecasts from the bank. Foot traffic has taken off in the nearly one year since Pop Mart opened a store in San Diego, according to estimates from Searches in the U.S. for the word Labubu are on track to hit their highest level on record this month, Google Trends data shows. An Intuit Credit Karma survey found Labubus and other backpack accessories were among the most-asked for items heading into the new school year. For fanatics like Jonathan Fierro, Labubus have opened their eyes — and wallets — to a company they might have glossed over before. The 29-year-old's Labubus account for just a handful of the dozens of total products from Pop Mart he owns. In addition to Labubus, Fierro's discovered Pop Mart's Hirono and Twinkle Twinkle toys as other favorites. He now budgets about three-fourths of his monthly "fun" money to spend on the company's various items. "It was like the gateway drug to Pop Mart," the digital media manager said of Labubus. "You really enter a whole other world with so many other fun things." Shares of Pop Mart's stock, which is listed in Hong Kong, have soared more than 500% from 12 months ago. While the stock pulled back earlier this month as investors questioned the sustainability of the company's current growth rate, Pop Mart's market cap dwarfs that of U.S. toymakers such as Hasbro and Mattel. The company declined to make an executive available for this story. But Emily Brough, Pop Mart's head of intellectual property licensing for the Americas, told CNBC Make It that Labubus have seen "astronomical" sales growth. To be sure, the doll is starting well behind legacy brands. Labubus accounted for about $423 million of Pop Mart's global revenue in 2024, according to Brough. By comparison, Mattel said its famous Barbie brand raked in around $1.35 billion that year. Consumers and toy industry followers credit Lisa, a performer in girl group Blackpink and actress in the latest season of "The White Lotus," with raising the toy's profile globally. Rihanna and Simone Biles are also among the other celebrities that have showed off their Labubus, which come in a variety of themes, colors and price points. Brands jumped in as the product gained notoriety. United Airlines shared a video of the dolls riding a conveyor belt. Olive Garden posted a series of pictures showing a light-blue Labubu with the Italian chain's breadsticks, salad and pasta. Social media users share content displaying how they wear, decorate and unbox the dolls. A hair stylist filmed a TikTok video adding extensions to a Labubu that has more than 200,000 likes. The buzz has made its way to the political sphere, with Daniel Lurie, the San Francisco mayor and Levi Strauss heir, sharing the news about Pop Mart bringing a store to the city. "Now, I can see first-hand what my kids have been talking about with these Labubus," he said in a TikTok video set to the sound of Sabrina Carpenter's song "Espresso." The toy's cultural grip isn't just prevalent on social media platforms. Last month, people strutted through lower Manhattan's Washington Square Park with the dolls attached to bags, belt loops and dog harnesses in a makeshift fashion show. Life-sized Labubu costumes have been spotted everywhere from nightclubs to protests. "I've been talking about this as the toy fad that wasn't," said Chris Byrne, an independent analyst and consultant known as the "Toy Guy." "What's happened with Labubu is it has become much more of a fashion accessory than a toy." Byrne pointed to the exclusivity of the dolls — which typically sell out quickly and can be hard to find in stores — as helping drum up interest. Labubus have become a status symbol for adults with a lower price tag than alternatives like Hermes Birkin bags, he said. The boom in popularity makes sense in this economic moment, he added. When people feel negatively about their financial outlook, Byrne said they shift toy spending to products that they believe to be "collectables." Labubus, like other items that can be bought in "blind boxes," also give the impression of having a value that outweighs the actual price, Byrne said. Another driver of online interest is a controversial question: Are Labubus, with their perky ears and pointy teeth, ugly? Owners interviewed by CNBC acknowledged that while the dolls could indeed be seen as hard on the eyes, that is, in a way, what makes them lovable. "They remind me of my dog," said Jake Alexander, a 25-year-old real estate professional who dresses his dolls up in jewelry from Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels. "He is so ugly in the face," Alexander said of his Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. "It's the cutest thing ever." While resellers can fetch a premium, the secondary market hasn't taken off to the same extent it had previously for a doll like Beanie Babies, Bryne said, explaining that the internet's rise has made supply seem less scarce. Still, enthusiast Josh Brantley Cole said he turned to third-party sellers to avoid the hubbub of trying to buy directly from Pop Mart. When purchasing through unofficial channels, consumers need to do their homework to ensure authenticity, Cole said. Otherwise, they may end up with off-brand dupes known as "lafufus," he said. First, buyers need an accurate QR code and serial number, he said. Next, he added, the box's colors should match the related color scheme for the doll. A final giveaway has been the number of teeth — an actual Labubu, he said, should have nine. Being in his 40s, Cole admitted that seeing other adult men walking around with Labubus on their person is a "weird" sight. Still, the Los Angeles-based actor said he'd prefer having an affinity for this product over a more serious dependency like alcohol or gambling. "It's an addiction that isn't bad for you," Cole said. "Luckily, I can afford this addiction."
Vox
12 hours ago
- Vox
If you don't get Labubus, that's the point
is a senior correspondent who explains what society obsesses over, from Marvel and movies to fitness and skin care. He came to Vox in 2014. Prior to that, he worked at The Atlantic. Some creatures only come out at night: vampires, werewolves, and now the latest member of the after-hours club: hopeful Labubu collectors. If you're not already in the know, that last group might feel as mysterious as mythical creatures. It only adds to the toys' mystique that the window when you can officially purchase the mega-popular trinkets — sold in limited drops, like fashion collabs and sneakers — only opens for a brief time on seemingly random nights (usually at 10 pm Eastern). Enthusiasts say that successfully getting your hands on one of the approximately half-foot tall plastic-and-vinyl bunny-eared ghouls with a rictus grin feels like doing the impossible, or at least something more impossible than spending $27.99. With their faces illuminated by the glow of their smartphones, credit card numbers locked in, fingers at the ready to click and add to cart, for Labubu hunters, there is no duty, no bedtime, sometimes no supper — only Labubu. Vox Culture Culture reflects society. Get our best explainers on everything from money to entertainment to what everyone is talking about online. Email (required) Sign Up By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. According to lore, Labubus are a tribe of mythical female elves called The Monsters that live in Nordic forests. According to Pop Mart, the toy and design company that produces the dolls, Labubus are a character-driven franchise, largely consisting of plushies, figurines, and accessories, that brings in over $400 million in revenue. And according to their most fervent fans — the people who have made Labubu a success in the hundreds of millions of dollars — Labubus are pure joy…if you somehow manage to get your hands on one. If only the other things we spend roughly $30 on could bring us such glee. Yet, many others do not find any delight in that idea. Some assert that the Labubus craze represents capitalism in its latest stage, thanks to a perfect storm of technical uselessness, jacked-up reseller prices, celebrity endorsement, and forced scarcity. Others think the little goblins are aesthetically ominous, even ugly. But that division — and the strong feelings on both sides — might just be exactly how Labubus became such big business. Understanding why some people can't get enough of the toys (and the chase), gives us a window into bigger questions about what makes us happy, what makes us feel in-the-know, and what someone's really buying when they purchase a monster of their own. Hate only makes Labubus stronger When people talk about Labubus, they're likely referring to the mega-popular 'pendant' versions that come with a sewn-on ring that's designed to clip onto bags and belt loops. These sell out in minutes. But if you do get your hands on a Labubu — from one of Pop Mart's limited drops or on the secondhand market at a serious markup — you'll find their bodies are soft, and small enough to fit in a fist. They come in a variety of colors, and often sell as sets. Other pieces in the Labubu line include bigger dolls (retailing for $299), accessories like phone charms, and all types of figurines and plushes. No matter the size or brand collaboration, all Labubu products have one thing in common: They exist to be seen and displayed. Labubus don't actually do anything, which may add to some of the general perplexity surrounding them. 'I've always been drawn to creatures that live in the space between fantasy and reality — characters that feel both familiar and mysterious,' Kasing Lung, the original artist who created Labubu, tells Vox. Growing up in the Netherlands and around Nordic and European folklore, Lung wanted to reflect those inspirations — mischievous, endearing, strange — in Labubu. 'She's not overly detailed or complicated, she has a big smile, wide eyes, and a little bit of mischief in her expression,' Lungs says of his original design. 'Labubu is playful but not perfect — she has sharp teeth, messy fur, and a bit of wild energy. She's cute but also a little weird, a little unpredictable.' The duality of Labubu has turned the playful imp into a bit of a Rorschach test; humans are wired to have a strong reaction when they see a Labubu. Some people feel intense love. Its big eyes and big head are reminiscent of what researchers call 'baby schema,' traits that appear in infants and toddlers that trigger parental synapses, and euphoria in our brains. But no matter how much baby schema Labubu employs and whatever brain receptors they set off, some may still find Labubu unappealing. They have mouths that almost stretch from one end of their faces to the other, which give the toys a sinister edge. They have prominent, protruding brow bones, tiny claws, and sometimes bare their jagged teeth. In combination, these slightly alarming characteristics may explain why some people find them to harbor dark energy. 'They're so cute-ugly,' says Tyler Renner, a man in possession of two Labubus, living in California. Renner, 34, was initially drawn to Labubus, but for a while kept his desire for them a secret. They're divisive, he reasoned. Not everyone understands how something so menacing could come back around to being so adorable. But the more Renner posted his dolls, showing off their custom-made clothes and freaky little faces, the more support he got. He received secretive DMs from closet Labubu-lovers, wanting to know how they could procure their own. Renner and one of his customized Labubus. Courtesy of Tyler Renner Elizabeth Mitchell, a mom from the Washington, DC, area, echoes Renner's so-ugly-it's-cute horseshoe theory and clandestine love affair. 'It's goth meets Hello Kitty,' says Mitchell, who sees her devotion in terms both anthropological and biochemical. 'Either you have the 'Tribe Labubu' brain parasite or you don't.' According to a Pop Mart spokesperson, Labubu tends to be most popular with women between the ages of 18–30. During the current popularity boom, though, Labubu's fan demographic has aged up and its gender appeal has broadened. While children certainly enjoy Labubu and want them, they are probably not the ones logged into Pop Mart's app with credit card security codes at the ready. And because one doesn't really 'play' with Labubus aside from displaying them, possibly in festive outfits, toy designers consider Labubus as much an object of design than a traditional kids' toy. Still though, there are people who might be able to better resist baby schema, who don't succumb to brain parasites, who find them not 'cute-ugly,' but just plain ugly. On TikTok, a corner of the internet brimming with Labubus, Labubu lovers, and Labubu haters, their creepiness is often a popular subject (a sore one for fans). Being so intensely polarizing is what makes Labubus so successful, says Vincent Scala, a toy designer and illustration professor at the School of Visual Arts. If Labubus themselves were ignorable, if the reactions they elicited were simply lukewarm, they wouldn't command such a deep yearning. Some may not care one way or another about the way the dolls look, but simply hate the idea of an unavoidable mania brought on by cute junk. Scala and other experts I spoke with pointed out that Labubus may remind a lot of people (especially millennials and Gen Xers of a certain age) of Tickle Me Elmos, Furbys, and Beanie Babies; toy fads that burned hot and bright and died out just as fast because people got bored with them. These core viral toy memories — coupled with millennials historically preferring experiences over material objects — might elicit an ennui or confusion about the Labubu obsession, if not an outright hostility. 'Furby, I think, is probably the closest — as so many people loved it, just as many people hated it,' Scala says, noting that 'the amount of hatred just sort of feeds into the craze' and that all the attention 'makes people want it more.' One would think that producing something everyone generally wants would be better for business than creating something only some people want. But that misses something important about human desire. Jared Watson, a professor at the NYU Stern School of Business who studies the extensive subject of consumer behavior, attributes part of Labubu's success and its virality to its volatility. If everyone wanted and had a Labubu, the average person would have some kind of idea of its value. But fans and experts say that when buyers push past uncertainties about worth or childishness, they are rewarded with social status, or at least belonging. When complete strangers compliment the Labubu on the street, owners experience a unique kind of joy. 'You don't get the same sort of rush when everyone is in on the secret,' Watson says, comparing it to the euphoria of sharing a love for a new movie, an undersung TV series, or an emerging musician that the general public hasn't hopped on yet. 'But once everybody's there, it's not as exciting anymore.' That mass adoption isn't a problem for Labubus though: Pop Mart has set up the market so they're not so easy to get your hands on. Labubus are like gambling, basically Buying a Labubu requires either a lot of time or a bunch of money. If you're willing to pay more than its retail asking price, you can find $27.99 Pop Mart Labubus on resale sites like Stock X or eBay going for $60, $120, even $280. If you want to purchase them from the parent company, it requires strategy and luck. Pop Mart's checkout process is something of an obstacle course. Go too slow and faster clickers will gobble up the stock. Go too fast and Pop Mart's system might flag you as a reseller bot, like the kind that scoop up all the best concert seats on Ticketmaster. If you make it through the digital gauntlet, you obtain what's known as a blind box — there's a Labubu inside, but you don't know which one is yours until you open it. Those individual blind boxes usually belong to Pop Mart's three main Labubu pendant collections — Sweet Macaron (Labubus are named after desserts and drinks), Have a Seat (Labubus are all in sitting poses), and Big Into Energy (Labubus are named after emotions) — each collection has six different Labubus, and each one has a rare, secret Labubu that appears in 1/72 boxes. That makes for 21 regular attachable Labubu characters in circulation, not counting special series and collaborations (Pop Mart's entire Labubu line is expansive, if not overwhelming). Purchasing a Labubu can allegedly trigger euphoria, and perhaps some of the same risk-reward functions that gambling does. Tobias Schwarz/AFP via Getty Images For first-time buyers, this means any box will contain a fun, random surprise, but for collectors, the more Labubus you buy, the more likely you are to end up with duplicates. If you're lucky, though, there's a small chance of scoring the special 'secret,' the plush equivalent of Willy Wonka's golden ticket without any chance of dying at the hands of a maniacal candy tycoon. Some fans will purchase box after box chasing the secret. Carmin Newman believed herself to be one of these lucky people; and indeed she has procured over 30 Labubus since committing herself to the cause. To get the first of her Labubus, Newman researched when new stock would drop. She recruited 'a little team' to converge on the app. Her squad had their clicking fingers ready in the seconds right before Pop Mart's replenishment, and scored a complete set of six, then another, then one more. Yet Newman says she doesn't like any of the Labubus she's obtained. Related After the Beanie Baby bubble burst Labubus are a hit with kids in Newman's neighborhood, and those kids' parents were ready to pay resellers double or more for the little ghouls. That waste activated her. No one was going to spend more than $30 for a Labubu on Newman's watch. 'It's totally a game now,' Newmans tells me, explaining that scoring Labubus feels like winning. The rush of getting one retail and not paying a reseller is, in her eyes, better than actually owning one. She swears her goal is one more set, from one more drop. 'Then I'll be done,' Newman promises, before admitting with a laugh that she might need 'Labubus Anonymous.' Ginger Pennington, a professor at Northwestern University who studies consumer psychology and human motivation, points out that Labubus tap into many of the same psychological and emotional mechanisms that gambling does, from the company-induced scarcity, to the randomness of the blind box, to the instant gratification or disappointment of acquisition. She explains that the drop process and blind boxes actually take advantage of the dopamine hit with a negative outcome. 'Even though it's super, super disappointing,' to not get a Labubu, or to get one you already have, 'it actually doesn't dampen your motivation,' Pennington says. 'It just makes you want to go and try again.' Instead of dwelling on the disappointment — or giving up — collectors focus on the part that felt good. For nearly a decade, we've heard about how millennials have driven an economy that values 'experiences' over 'stuff,' and that doesn't seem to be changing. Perhaps the fact that millennials (and Zoomers) are loving Labubus isn't a contradiction; maybe it's the high of the chase that makes these dolls so desirable. Or maybe it's all about those big baby eyes, the unnerving smile underneath them, and the satisfaction in knowing some people just don't get it. One thing is for sure, Labubus are not for everyone. Pop Mart, to massive profit, is making sure it stays that way.
